ANA progress in Helmand

The CF have seen considerable Afghan National Army progress at Kandahar (more here). Similar things seem to happening with the Brits in Helmand province:

British troops in southern Afghanistan could hand control of key areas to Afghan forces within months, the commander of British forces said yesterday.

Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said he hoped the Afghan army would "deliver security" in the most dangerous parts of Helmand by the end of the year. He said the provincial governor was keen to see Afghan troops take over in three hotspot towns in "the heart of Helmand", and it was his job to help that happen.

"We may see, by the end of this year, or beginning of next, areas where security is delivered by the Afghan army," he said. "The priorities are Gereshk, Lashkar Gah and Sangin."..

Brigadier Carleton-Smith's strategy does not, however, mean an early exit for UK forces. Preparations are already under way for troops to be deployed beyond 2009, the projected time-frame for the end of the Helmand mission, which began in 2006.

Handing over security to Afghan security forces has its own risks. At Musa Qala, a town recently recovered from the Taliban, the Afghan police have been tasked with maintaining law and order while British forces stayed in the outskirts. A number of residents have complained bitterly about extortion by the police...

Speaking at a joint British, Australian and Danish outpost [emphasis added], he said his objective for the next six months was to improve "human security", which he said included physical security from threats such as criminals and insurgents, as well as economic and social security. "To my mind, that is better delivered by their own agencies than by the British," he added...

The Afghan National Army has been one of the country's few success stories since 2001, especially when compared to the corrupt and inept police force. There are three battalions of Afghan troops based in Helmand, but they depend on help from the British for logistics, medical treatment and air support [emphasis added]. That support will continue when they take control of the three key towns...

The US general commanding ISAF, for his part, has certainly waxed optimistic about longer-terms prospects for the ANA.

This on the other hand is a bit discouraging (but may in large part be motivated by politics concerning the 2009 Afghan presidential election):

Afghan Leader Criticizes U.S. on Conduct of War

In view of the above, one wonders how receptive President Karzai might be to an increased US command role in Afstan.